Candle #12: Gideon's Power

Finished up another of my Birth Year Reading Challenge books. Gideon's Power by J J Marric.

From the back of the book: Gideon is trapped. He was tracking down all the mysterious happenings--the frequent power failures, the raging factory fire that took lives, and the murdering of children. How could he solve them if he himself was caught in a mind-boggling trap?

My take: Decent police procedural. I've read a couple of the Gideon series before and remember liking those better. This one is a tad bit scattered for my taste. I realize that in real life the police are dealing with dozens of cases all at the same time. But that doesn't really make for great story-telling. Marric does a reasonable job juggling the various plot-lines, but naturally, given that this is a short, paperback novel, some of the plots don't get much of a treatment. And, honestly, the main plot (sabotage at the powerplants and factories) doesn't get the treatment deserved.

Oh, and I've mentioned before--I don't like stories that involve children being murdered. The only good thing was that THAT wasnt' the main plot. Otherwise, I might have had to quit--and then I wouldn't have chalked up another candle.